Retooled “Create Change” Web Resource Helps Faculty Fulfill The Promise of Digital Scholarship

Fully Revised Version of Popular Web Site Looks at Scholarly Information Sharing on the Internet

Washington, DC – SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) and ARL (Association of Research Libraries), with support from ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries), today announced the re-launch of the Create Change Web site, a popular resource on scholarly communication issues. The site has been updated to provide faculty with current information, perspectives, and tools that will enable them to play an active role in advancing scholarly information exchange in the networked environment.

The new Create Change Web site (http://www.createchange.org) is based around the idea that the ways faculty share and use academic research results are changing rapidly and irreversibly. By posing the question, “Shouldn’t the way we share research be as advanced as the Internet?” the site outlines how faster and wider sharing of journal articles, research data, simulations, syntheses, analyses, and other findings fuels the advance of knowledge. It also offers practical ways faculty can look out for their own interests as researchers.

“Access to research and scholarship is in the news; faculty deserve an up-to-date examination of how new policies and technologies can benefit them and their colleagues,” said Heather Joseph, SPARC Executive Director. “SPARC and ARL took a fresh look at our Create Change program, which has received so much positive feedback in the past, and redeveloped the Web site to reflect today’s needs and perspectives. Faculty will find it an invaluable tool for understanding the changing landscape of scholarly communication, and librarians will discover a uniquely useful means of introducing the topic to their faculty and administrators.”

“The redeveloped Create Change site is a timely new resource that focuses on exploring the potential for scholarly exchange in the ever-increasingly networked environment,” said Karla Hahn, Director of ARL’s Office of Scholarly Communication. “With change in scholarly communication systems continuing to happen at such a rapid pace, the site will be a key tool in engaging researchers and librarians around the fundamental issues.”

The Create Change Web site includes sections on digital scholarship and new modes of communication; examples of change in diverse fields; and ways to stay informed on new developments. It offers tailored guidance for researchers who play many roles in their professional lives – as researcher, author, reviewer, editor, editorial board member, society member, faculty member, or teacher. The site features selected news items; an ongoing series of interviews with scholars from different disciplines; and scores of links to other Web sites and resources.

SPARC News Release, June 22, 2006